Chandler district athlete, world champ Jalen Williams honored

By Jason W. Brooks
Mail | X: @JasonWBrooks2

Jalen Williams said he never thought his dream would come true.

“I never thought I’d be standing up here, talking about a world championship,” Williams said during an emotional Feb. 10 ceremony at Perry High School to honor the alum and NBA champion.

Williams, a 2019 graduate of PHS, went on to play college basketball at Santa Clara. Drafted in 2022, he helped a talented Oklahoma City Thunder team bring that city its first major pro sports title by winning the 2025 NBA Finals last June.

On hand for the music-accompanied walkout, short speeches and unveiling of a banner on a new Perry “wall of honor” in Dan Serrano Gymnasium were school leaders and Williams’ coach, former Pumas coach Sam Duane Jr.

“Jalen was only about 6 feet tall as a sophomore, and I remember the day he pointed out that he’s taller than me,” Duane Jr. said.
The coach told stories about some of the games from which highlights were extracted for a video shown in the gym for the capacity crowd. He praised Williams’ ability to not only not be denied on offense, but also to play “lock-down” defense.

Williams thanked a long list of people, from the Perry athletic trainer to Puma fans and his family. That includes his parents, Ron and Nicole; his sister, Jasmin, and his brother, Cody, who plays for the Utah Jazz.

The event was arranged partly because the Thunder were in the Valley, on a night off, a day ahead of their 136-109 win over the host Phoenix Suns. Williams, who had recently come back from an injury, had 28 points in that game of 11-of-12 shooting.

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INDEPENDENT NEWSMEDIA

Jason W. Brooks
News Editor | Chandler Independent

Jason W. Brooks joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in July 2021 as an associate editor. After a year covering Buckeye, he has covered Chandler since the fall of 2022, in addition to assisting the Daily Independent throughout his time at INI.

Education: University of New Mexico, bachelor of arts in journalism and mass communication, print emphasis, English minor.

Random Fact: He and his siblings witnessed a Space Shuttle launch and landing in the same year in person, on opposite coasts.

Hobbies: Karaoke, bicycling and American Sign Language.

Community: He supports animal shelters.